The Belfast Giants won a thrilling Challenge Cup final, coming from 2-0 down to beat the Cardiff Devils 3-2 in sudden death overtime at the SSE Arena.
Goals from Tyler Soy, David Goodwin and an overtime winner by Ben Lake secured the home side the first silverware on offer this season .
It’s the fourth time the Giants have won the trophy.
The Devils had led the game after second-period goals from Jake Coughler and Cole Sanford
Hosting the single leg format cup final for the first time in twenty years, the Giants, roared on by the majority of the 7,300 fans in attendance, had the better of the opening exchanges.
Hook came close to breaking the deadlock when his lifted shot clipped the top of the bar with Mac Carruth in the Devils’ goal beaten.
First period fails to produce a goal
The Cardiff netminder also saw attempts from Soy, Griffin Reinhart and Goodwin all whistle dangerously close past his net.
Bit despite outshooting the Devils by two-to-one, the Giants failed to make a breakthrough and the first 20 minutes ended goalless.
The hosts were made to pay for their profligacy as Cardiff opened the scoring at the start of the second period.
Coughler fired a fierce one-timer in off the underside of the bar past Tyler Beskorowany after a sloppy turnover by the Giants. Cam Knight lost possession behind the net, allowing Trevor Cox to set up Coughler to score from the slot.
With Brendan Mikkelson and Marc McNulty both out injured for the visitors, the depleted Devils had started the game with just four defenceman.
However, they continued to battle hard in the middle period and were rewarded with a second goal five minutes before the second interval as Coughler broke down the left wing and fed Sanford at the far post to finish past an exposed Beskorowany.
The Giants then mounted a stirring comeback at the start of the third period with two goals in a stunning three-minute spell.
Two minutes after the restart, Soy volleyed home a rebound after Carruth had deflected the puck, blocking a shot from Hook.
JJ Piccinich then skated around the back of Carruth’s net to feed Goodwin to score from close range and and level the game up at two-two.
With no further scoring in the period, the final went on to overtime.
Lake proved the hero, scoring from close range in the fifth minute after Mark Cooper had drove the net. There was a nervous pause in the home fans’ celebrations as the officials checked for offside before ruling the goal was good.
With the fourth trophy won in his stint as head coach, Adam Keefe becomes the most successful coach in Giants’ history in terms of silverware – and he and his side will now be keen to complete the treble of the league title and play-offs.
